PAT Testing

Every item starts with a formal visual inspection. Our engineer checks the plug, cable, casing and connections for damage, overheating, incorrect fuses and signs of misuse. It sounds simple, but most faults on portable equipment are found at this stage, often before any test instrument is connected. Items are then electrically tested according to their type, including earth continuity and insulation resistance for Class I equipment, and appropriate tests for Class II appliances and IEC leads.

Each item that passes receives a label showing its unique ID, the test date and the date of its next test. Everything is recorded in an itemised asset register that lists each appliance, its location, the tests carried out and the result. We supply the register digitally, so it is easy to forward to an insurer, store with your compliance records or hand to an auditor.

Because our engineers are fully qualified electricians, a failed test is rarely the end of the conversation. Many failures come down to simple faults such as a damaged plug, a loose connection or the wrong fuse, and we can often repair these during the visit and retest the item straight away.

Where an appliance is genuinely unsafe or beyond economic repair, we label it clearly, take it out of use with your agreement and explain in the report exactly why it failed.

This practical approach saves you from replacing equipment unnecessarily, and it means you are not left waiting for another contractor to come back and deal with the failures.

If testing uncovers a wider problem, such as sockets that keep damaging plugs or an overloaded circuit, our commercial electrical team can investigate and put it right.

There is no single legal testing interval. The IET Code of Practice for In Service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment recommends a risk based approach, where frequency depends on the type of equipment, how it is used and the environment it is used in. A desktop computer that never moves in a clean office carries far less risk than a power tool on a building site, a floor cleaner used daily in a school, or a kettle in a busy staff kitchen.

We help you set sensible intervals for your premises rather than applying one blanket frequency to everything. That avoids paying to over test low risk equipment while making sure the items most likely to be damaged are checked often enough. Once your intervals are agreed, we send reminders when testing is due, so nothing slips through the gaps.

Testing means unplugging equipment, so timing matters. In offices, we work early mornings, evenings or weekends to avoid interrupting staff, and IT equipment is handled carefully and reconnected exactly as we found it. In schools, colleges and universities, we schedule testing for holidays and in service days. For pubs, restaurants and shops, we test before opening or after close so trading is never affected.

When you are moving into new premises or have just completed an office refurbishment, it is a good time to create a fresh asset register for everything coming into the building. Many clients also combine PAT testing with an EICR and emergency lighting checks, bringing all their electrical compliance records up to date in one organised visit.